Chinese New Year Gifts & Dining

Gifts and Gobbles to Celebrate The Year of the Monkey

The Year of the Fire Monkey is nearly here, and to celebrate we’ve rounded up some of the best sweet treats, gifts and menus to indulge in over the public holidays next week. Share the New Year love with your family and friends by snapping up some of the awesome goodies below (to add to the lai see off course!). Or why not book in for a fabulous Chinese New Year feast? There are plenty of special menus and promotions but we’ve chosen just a couple of our favourites for ringing in the Year of the Monkey. Kung Hei Fat Choi!

Present Perfection

When it comes to gifts, who doesn’t like a couple of new beauty products? You mum, sister or bestie will love one of Crabtree & Evelyn’s awesome Chinese New Year gifts, which include signature products like their gorgeous hand-creams and delicious cookies, all in festive packaging! There are six Chinese New Year Gift Sets on offer for you to choose from, so grab a gold and red box and to make sure you’re in the good books this year.

If hair care is your thing, then you won’t want to miss out on the limited time only offer from hair styling experts, ghd! From now until 14 February 2016, you can score special CNY gifts with the purchase of a ghd styler or hairdryer at Lane Crawford. Treat yourself to these pro-styling tools and you’ll also get a complimentary ghd Heat Protect Spray and a pack of Lai See. And if you go all out and buy two stylers or hairdryers (one for a friend, one for you?!) you’ll also get an extra 20% discount on the lowest priced item. Now that really is double happiness for our hair…

Available now until 14 February 2016 at Lane Crawford Canton Road or Times Square.

Looking for a chic and stylish gift for your boss, colleague or friend this CNY? These limited edition notebooks are the result of a collaboration between two fabulous brands, the gorgeous Shanghai Tang and the publishers of our fave notebooks, Moleskin! The limited edition Chinese New Year collection includes two notebooks and a diary, which feature a cute embossed monkey and the Chinese character for this loveable animal. We love the diary, which not only has a weekly planner to help you stay organised this year, but mentions Chinese horoscopes and gives little Feng Shui Tips. The perfect themed gift for the Year of the Monkey!

Personalised Urban Decay Palettes
Make-up fiends must take advantage of cult brand Urban Decay’s special Chinese New Year offer. You can snap up the coveted ‘Naked 2’ or ‘Naked 3’ eyeshadow palette as a gift and score a limited-edition graffiti packaging. You’ll also be able to have the palette personalised with a name or message by calligrapher Gigi Tang from 1 – 7 February at Facesss, Harbour City and 11 – 14 February at Lane Crawford, Times Square from 6.30-8.30pm. Now that’s a seriously covetable CNY gift!

Available for $500 per palette from 1 – 7 February at Facesss, Harbour City and 11 – 14 February at Lane Crawford, Times Square from 6.30-8.30pm.

Sweet Treats

If you want to keep it traditional this CNY, then you can’t go wrong with Fook Lam Moon’s traditional CNY cakes. Using only the best ingredients, Fook Lam Moon is offering five different cakes this year, including: Glutinous Rice Cake, Turnip Cake with Cured Meat, Taro Cake with Cured Meat, Guo Fu Lou Jujube Cake and Water Chestnut Cake. These gourmet, preservative-free festive cakes are ideal if you want to sample some authentic Chinese New Year goodies – each cake is $300 and 1,000 grams. And make sure you check out the Fook Lam Moon CNY hampers too for a huge selection of traditional Chinese snacks!

Macaron lovers will be over the moon with the pretty boxes from Ladurée this CNY. The limited edition ‘Ouistiti’ gift boxes holds 12 macarons and features their signature illustrations with an adorable little monkey. The French brand is renown for having the lightest and most interestingly flavoured macarons in town, so if you want to add some French fancy to your Year of the Monkey celebrations, then don’t miss out.

If you’re just as obsessed with chocolate as we are, then the super cute chocolates shaped as tiny gold ingots from Jean-Paul Hevin are perfect for indulging in this CNY. The gourmet French chocolatier has a selection of themed gifts symbolising wealth and fortune for you to choose from, all of which are beautifully packaged and contain the most delectable chocolates, macarons, almonds, truffles and more. They’ve even created limited-edition CNY bonbons and kumquat macarons for the occasion. Check out the whole Chinese New Year collection here and treat your loved ones to something sweet!

Choose from the Precious Hamper – $1,108, Prosperous Hamper – $1,588, or Glorious Hamper – $2,488. Available at all Jean-Paul Hevin boutiques in Hong Kong – see here for all store locations.

Wining and Dining

The elegant Mott 32 is another top spot for celebrate Chinese New Year in Hong Kong. The modern yet sophisticated restaurant specialises in delicious Chinese dishes that use only the best local and overseas ingredients. For the Year of the Monkey, Mott 32 are pulling out all the stops with an indulgent Whole Atlantic Lobster Lo Hei (also known as a Prosperity Toss), and Chef Lee Man Sing is giving traditional CNY cake a twist with a Pan Fried Potato Mushroom Cake with Cured Meats. And that’s not all, expect luxurious seafood and meats dishes as well as a seasonal dessert selection.

Gathering your friends and family for a big meal is the perfect way to celebrate the start of a New Year. If you’re after an exquisite meal with a stunning view of the harbour and the fireworks, then Cafe Gray Deluxe should be number one on your list! The spectacular view of the fireworks is the perfect backdrop for a celebratory evening of feasting at one of our favourite fine dining spots. The five-course dinner from Chef Gray Kunz includes tasty Chinese-inspired dishes such as Double Boiled Duck Consommé Peking with Duck Pancake and Plum Sauce, Steamed Garoupa and Abalone with Fragrant Tangerine Broth and Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Soy-Chili Braised Beef Shank and Horseradish-Parsnip Purée (see the full menu here). Time to celebrate the Year of the Monkey in style…

For a banquet-style CNY dinner, head to the oh-so cool Ho Lee Fook in Soho. Featuring traditional dishes such as a Yee Sang Platter(also known as Lo Hei or a Prosperity Toss) along with signature dishes from the restaurant, this is the perfect place to wine and dine with close friends. Expect the usual vibrant atmosphere and inventive flavour combinations from Chef Jowett at this banquet for parties of six people.

If you’re trying to stick to cleaner, healthier eating over the holiday, then Grassroots Pantry is the obvious choice for a celebratory meal. On Tuesday, 9 February, will only be open for a special eight-course Chinese New Year dinner. Enjoy dishes such as Tea-Smoked Onsen Duck Eggs, Goon Tong Dumplings and E-fu Noodle Pastaserved with straw mushroom, tapioca, truffle sauce and white scallions. Healthy but delicious, what more could you want? The dinner is $888 per person (+10% service) and is only available for tables of four or more… each table will also bag a complimentary CNY Candy Box, complete with Rabbit Milk Candy, Candied Dehydrated Lotus Root Chips, Toasted Five-Spice Pumpkin and Sunflower Seeds and more.

Available for $888 per person (+10% service) for tables of four or more on Tuesday, 9 February 2016 at Grassroots Pantry, 108 Hollywood Road, G/F, Shop D, Central, Hong Kong. For reservations, call 2873 3353 or book online at www.grassrootspantry.com.

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Lauren

Lauren was born and raised right here in Hong Kong and loves every part of the city and all its many contrasts. She loves to travel and is always on the look out for the next adventure…